Door biasing device



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July 16, 1957 F. l. RATAICZAK 2,799,550

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DGOR BIASING DEVICE Francis I. Rataiczak, Dayton, Ohio, assignor toGeneral Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of DelawareApplication January 4, 1955, Serial No. 479,829 2 Claims. (Cl. 312-319)This invention relates to a biasing device for door and particularly tosuch a device for a vertically swinging refrigerated compartment door.

An object of my invention is to provide an improved door biasing device.

-Another object of my invention is to provide a door biasing devicewhich is effective while the door is closed and during a part only ofthe opening swinging movement of the door and which device is renderedvineffective to pull the door in a door closing direction in response toswing the door into a fully open position.

' A further object of my invention is to provide a pivotally mountedvertically swinging door of a refrigerated food storage compartment of arefrigerator cabinet with means whereby a pull is applied to the door onone side of its pivotal mounting when the same is closed for sealing thecompartment and which means is rendered ineffective to pull on the dooron said one side of its pivotal mounting invresponse to swinging thedoor into a substantially horizontal plane.

A still further and more specific object of my invention is to provide adoor for an access opening of a refrigerated food storage compartment ofa refrigerator cabinet with a biasing device having a bell crankfulcrumed on the door and connected to an elongated coil spring of thedevice in such manner that movement of the door into open positionshifts or changes the moment of an arm of the bell crank relativethereto to bring the action of the spring into alignment with thefulcrum point of the bell crank, whereby the pull of the spring of thedevice on the door in a door closing direction is rendered ineffectiveand the door remains open.

` Further objects and advantages of the present invention will beapparent from the following description, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, wherein a preferred form of the present inventionis clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a front view of a multiple compartment refrigerator cabinetshowing the cabinet door in open position and showing an inner doorhaving my invention embodied therein;

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical fragmentary sectional view taken on theline 2-2 of Figure l showing a freezing compartment in the cabinethaving a door closing the access opening thereof;

Figure 3 is an enlarged broken sectional view, similar to Figure 2showing the freezing compartment access opening door in open position;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 44-4 ofFigure 3 showing the mounting of a biasing device on the freezercompartment door;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the inner face of thecompartment door and is taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 2; and

Figure 6 is a combined view schematically showing the biasing device ofthe present invention in three different positions relative to the door.

' The present invention relates to a novel biasing device Mice for thedoor of a freezing compartment access opening in a refrigerator cabinetof the type disclosed in the Clifford H. Wurtz patent, Number 2,672,027,dated March 16, 1954, and in the co-pending application of Orson V.v

Saunders Ser. No. 369,373, filed July 21, 1953, entitled RefrigeratingApparatus, now Patent No. 2,739,456, both assigned to the assignee ofthis application.

In the drawings of the present application, I show in Figure l thereof arefrigerator cabinet generally indicated by the reference numeral 10.Cabinet 10 has a metal shell or housing 11 forming the outer top andside walls thereof and in which there is provided, by an inner linerv 12with insulation thereabout, an unfrozen food storage compartment 14having a forwardly facing opening. An. insulated door structure 15,hingedly mounted upon the:

cabinet for horizontal swinging movement, normally closes the frontopening in cabinet 10. A plate or the like evaporator 16 vof a closedrefrigerating system (not shown) associated with cabinet 10, concealedfrom view by a cover 17, is utilized to cool the interior of compartment14 to a temperature above 32 F. The liner 12 has an open top disposed asubstantial distance below the top Wall of the cabinet shell 11 topermit a freezing or frozen food storage compartment to be formed in thecabinet above the compartment 14 therein. A metal can-like member 18having an open front is located above the liner 12 and is surrounded byinsulated material 19 (see Figures 2 and 5) to form the liner of afreezing or frozen food storage compartment 20 in cabinet 10. Liner ormember 18 is supported in cabinet 10 in the manner shown and fullydescribed in the above referred to patent and application. A refrigerantevaporator of the refrigerating system associated with cabinet 10 and inthe form of a refrigerant expansion conduit- (not shown) wrapped orcoiled around and in contact with the outer surface of can member 18, inthe now conventional manner, is

utilized to cool the interior of freezing compartment 20 to atemperature well below 32 F.

, The edges of liner or can member 18 at the open front of compartment20 are secured by screws or the like (not shown) to a flange 21 formedintegrally on a non-metallic and preferably molded plastic breakercollar which has its sides and top attached to the cabinet outer wallsor shell 11 in any suitable and now well-known manner.'

tionary structure or compartment 20 and a door struc# ture, generallyrepresented by the numeral 25 in Figure l of the drawings, is adapted toabut against gasket 23 to seal the access opening of the freezing orfrozen food storage compartment. The door structure 25 for closing theopen front of compartment 20 comprises an outer metal panel 26 and aninner preferably molded plastic panel 27 (see Figure 2) havinginsulating material 28 (see Figure 4) disposed therebetween. The panels26 and 27 of door 25 may be assembled and secured together in anysuitable manner such, for example, as is disclosed in the co-pendingapplication of Orson V. Saunders, led September 23, 1953, Ser. No.381,771, entitled Refrigerator Door, and assigned to the assignee of thepresent application, now Patent No. 2,708,294. Inner plastic panel 27 ofthe present door 25 is provided, near each of its sides, with anembossed portion 31 having an opening 32 therein (see Figures 2 and 5)for a purpose to be hereinafter de scribed. Door 25 also includes sidehinge pins 33 fitted in suitable mounting apertures (not shown) providedin collar or door jamb 22 to permit of its being swung vertically aboutsuch mounting to openA and/or close the access opening of compartment20.

In accordance with my invention and in order to eliminate the necessityof a housewife holding a vertically swingable freezer compartment doordown in open po sition, while transferring food products to and from thefreezing compartment 20, I provide door with an improved biasing meansor device. In the present structure, door 25 has a metal channel member36 on each side thereof secured to panel 26 in any suitable manner suchas by screws 37. The doors hinge pins 33 are carried on channel members36 and extend through openings in the sides of the door outwardly fromthe interior thereof. A metal bracket 38 at each side of door 25 isclamped to a channel member 36, by screws 37, and forms a mounting for abell crank lever. A bell crank 39 fulcrumed upon each of the brackets38, by a stud 41, is provided with the two arms 42. and 43. Arm 42 ofeach bell crank 39 carries a stud 44 to which, one end of a rigid link46 is pivotally mounted. The other or opposite end of link 46, extendsthrough the aperture 32 of inner door panel 27, is hook shaped, as at47, and hooks into an aperture in a clip` 48 secured by a Vscrew or thelike 49 to flange 21 on collar or door jamb 22. The other arm 43 of eachbell crank 39 carries a stud 51 to which one end of a connector 52 isattached. The other end of connector 52 hooks into one end of a biasingmeans or elongated coil spring 53 which has its other or opposite endconnected to an upper part of door 25 such as to the upper end 54 of achannel member 36. Arms 42 and 43 of the bell cranks 39V may be providedwith cutout portions for engaging stops provided on brackets 38 so as toprevent abnormal movement of arms of the bell cranks relative tobrackets 38 when the springs 53 are detached from door 25 or when thelinks 46 are disconnected from their mounting clips 48.

By referring to Figure 2 of the drawings, it will be noted that whendoor 25 is closed, the biasing means or elongated springs 53 at eachside of the door are held, by the arm 43 of bell cranks 39 in a positionso that their pulling action on the door is to one side of the fulcrumpoint 41 of the cranks and to one side of the pivotal mounting point,hinge pins 33, of the door. In other words, the longitudinal axis orline of action of springs 53 is located to the right in Figure 2 of thedrawings of a straight line extending through the end 54 of a bracket 36and the pivot points 41 and 33 of the bell crank 39 and door 25respectively. The pulling action of springs 53 on door 25 forces theperipheral portions of door panel 27 into tight abutting relation withthe gasket 23 at the door jamb for compressing the gasket wherenecessary to insure a continuous seal of the compartment entirely arounditsl access opening. Thus, the door 25 is strongly biased shut when itis in its closed position. Arms 42 and 43 of the bell cranks 39 are sospaced apart and arranged with respect to one another, relative to thefulcrum point of the cranks, that as door 25 is swung downwardly towardits open position, the pulling tension of the springs 53 on door 25 isincreased throughout at least the rst part of this opening movement ofthe door (see Figure 6) to counterbalance or counterpoise its weight.Such prevents the door from suddenly dropping all the way from itsclosed to its fully open position. As this opening movement of door 25is continued, to move same farther toward the horizontal, rigid links46, being anchored to a wall of compartment 20, by clips 48, pull on arm42 of the bell cranks 39 to thereby shift the bell cranks and change themoment of their arms. As door 25 is moved, from the intermediateposition thereof as shown in Figure 6l of the drawings, into a fullyopen position or into a horizontal plane with respect to its door jamb,as shown in Figures 3 and 6 of the drawings, studs 51 on arm 43 of thecranks 39 cause the one end of connector 52 to be moved to the oppositeside of a straight line between the pivot point of door 25 and the pointof attachment of the upper end of springs 53 to the door. In otherWords, studs 51 on bell cranks 39 shift the one end of connector 52 sothat the end of arms 43 are substantially in alignment with both thefulcrum point 41 of the bell crank and with the upper end of spring 53attached to door 25. This renders the biasing action of springs 53 topull door 25 closed ineffective whereby the door remains open in ahorizontal plane without manually holding same open. Thus, both arms andhands of a housewife are free for use in transferring food products toand from the frozen food storage compartment 20. Door 25 must bemanually started in motion upwardly of its open horizontal positionwhereafter the biasing device becomes effective and the tension ofsprings 53 thereof then pulls the door closed. The pulling force of thebiasing device on door 25, when the door is moved to closed position, isadapted to cause portions of the resilient gasket 23, at certain pointsaround the access opening of compartment 20, to be compressed forinsuring a continuous seal of the inner panel 27 of the door with thegasket 23 entirely therearound. Compression of the gasket 23 at certainpoints as described compensates for any misalignment between the door 25and the front of compartment 20 or the door jamb due to manufacturingltolerances.

By mounting the spring and the bell crank of the present biasing deviceson the door, substantially all of the device is concealed from viewwithin panels of door 25 and, thus, the devices do not detract from theneat interior appearance of the refrigerator cabinet. This concealmentof parts of the biasing device also prevents a housewife or other userof the refrigerator disclosed from getting ngers pinched or cut bymovement of parts of the device during the act of vertically moving door25 with respect to compartment 20. It should be noted that as. the door25 is initially moved toward open position, the spring 53 is stretchedmore than when the door is closed and it naturally increasesconsiderably in tension to counterpoise its weight. However, as thespring nears its furthermost stretch, when the door is a little morethan half-way open, the pulling action thereof on the door is graduallydecreased and the door freely moves into a horizontal open positionwhereupon the pulling tension of the springs on the door, in a directionto close the door, becomes neutralized to permit the door to remainopen. The mechanical advantage derived by the use of a bell crank leverin a biasing device and the mounting of same on the door to change orshift the moment of arms of the bell crank permits at least the initialopening movement of they door to be effectively counterbalanced while atthe same time providing an effective pull on the door when it is closed.The pull on the door, by the present device, properly seals the accessopening of the frozen food storage compartment and permits its interiorto be maintained at a desired low temperature out -of communication withthe lower unfrozen food compartment.

While the form of embodiment of the invention as herein disclosedconstitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other formsmight be adopted, as may come within the scope of the claims whichfollow.

What is claimed is as follows:

l. A refrigerator cabinet having a frozen food storage compartment andan unfrozen food storage compartment therein disposed one above theother and each provided with a front access opening, an outer doorextending across both of said compartments for closing the opening insaid cabinet, an inner door for the access opening of said frozen foodcompartment, said inner door having spaced apart and secured togetherpanels forming a chamber therebetween, the bottom portion of said innerdoor being pivotally mounted to said cabinet for swinging movement froma substantially vertical shut position to a substantially horizontalopen position, a biasing device for said inner door, said devicecomprising a bell crank within the chamber of said inner door fulcrumedthereon intermediate its top and its pivotal mounting, spring meanshaving one of its ends attached to an upper part of said inner door withits other end connected to one arm of said bell crank and a link havingone of its ends connected to the other arm of said bell crank with itsopposite end extending through the innermost panel of said inner doorand anchored to a stationary part of said cabinet, the anchoring of saidopposite end of said link being at a point spaced laterally a suicientdistance from the pivotal mounting of said inner door to hold said bellcrank in a position to cause said spring means to bias the door closedwhen same is in said vertical shut position, said spring meanscounterpoising said inner door throughout a portion of the openingswinging movement thereof into a substantially horizontal plane, thefulcrum of said bell crank being swingable with said inner door aboutits pivotal mounting, and the stationary anchorage of said opposite endof said link shifting said bell crank about its fulcrum on said innerdoor during swinging of the fulcrum therewith to render thecounterpoising and door closing action of said spring means relativelyineffective so that the weight of said inner door forms the sole meansof maintaining same in said horizontal open position whereby it forms atransfer ledge at the front of said cabinet for receiving and supportingfood products during rearrangement thereof in said frozen foodcompartment.

2. A refrigerator cabinet having a frozen food storage compartment andan unfrozen food storage compartment therein disposed one above theother and each provided with a front access opening having a door jamb,an outer door extending across both of said compartments for closing theopening in said cabinet, a yieldable gasket on the door jamb of saidfrozen food compartment, an inner door engageable with said gasket forclosing said access opening of said frozen food compartment, said innerdoor having spaced apart and secured together panels forming a chambertherebetween, the bottom portion of said inner door being pivotallymounted to said cabinet for swinging movement from a substantiallyvertical shut position to a substantially horizontal open position, abiasing device for said inner door, said device comprising a bell crankwithin the chamber of said inner door fulcrumed thereon intermediate itstop and its pivotal mounting, a coil spring having one of its endsattached to an upper part of said inner door with its other endconnected to one arm of said bell crank and a link having one of itsends connected to the other arm of said bell crank with its opposite endextending through the innermost panel of said inner door and anchored toa stationary part of said cabinet, the anchoring of said opposite end ofsaid link being at a point spaced laterally a sucient distance from thepivotal mounting of said inner door to hold said bell crank in apositionto cause said coil spring to bias the door closed when same is in saidvertical shut position against said gasket with such force as toeffectively seal the frozen food compartment about said access openingthereof, said coil spring counterpoising said inner door throughout aportion of the opening swinging movement thereof into a substantiallyhorizontal plane, the fulcrum of said bell crank being swingable withsaid inner door about its pivotal mounting, and the stationary anchorageof said opposite end of said link shifting said bell crank about itsfulcrum on said inner door during swinging of the fulcrum therewith torender the counterpoising and door closing action of said coil springrelatively ineffective so that the weight of said inner door forms thesole means of maintaining same in said horizontal open position wherebyit forms a transfer ledge at the front of said cabinet for receiving andsupporting food products during rearrangement thereof in said frozenfood compartment.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS654,501 Wilson July 24, 1900 1,737,093 Price Nov. 26, 1929 2,180,552Shroeder et al Nov. 21, 1939 2,189,818 Murrin Feb. 13, 1940 2,676,864Townsend Apr. 27, 1954

